4.11.2012

How We Created Our Mirrored Console~

So yesterday, I promised that I would tell you how we turned an ugly 1970's era dresser into this fabulous glam TV console.

I had been wanting a mirrored console for our TV....but I didn't want to spend the beaucoup $$$ that those things run, so I decided I was going to have to take matters into my own hands.

First things first, I want to give credit to my friend Mandi for being the inspiration for this project with her fabulous DIY mirrored dresser. Showing it to my hubby was the way I convinced him that the ugly dresser would be a beauty when we were done. Annnnnnd, I picked Mandi's brain for a few of the details on how to make the whole project come together.

That said, this is how we created the console...

Here is the dresser as it looked when we brought it home.

We gave it a good sanding, wiped it down really well, then used spray primer, and spray painted it Rustoleum's Heirloom White.

Here is how she looked after the spraypainting. Much better. But she still needed some bling.

So I took careful measurements of each of the drawer recesses. Then I subtracted 1/8 inch from each dimension so that the mirror would fit within the recesses...and ordered the mirrors at a local glass shop.

Once the mirrors arrived, we had to drill holes in them for the new knobs. (Yes, we decided to add new hardware, and we decided that knobs would be a great way to go...) First, I measured to see where we wanted the knobs to fit on the drawers.

Then I measured where the hole would be on each mirror, and after placing a piece of painter's tape to protect the glass, I marked the spot where the hubby would drill. ( I used to work at a custom picture framing shop and had a very bad experience with a piece of glass that shattered in my hands...let's just say I have a nice scar on my hand from the stitches....and now I'm a little nervous around glass...so I sweetly begged asked the hubby if he'd be willing to do the drilling. And being the great guy that he is - plus the fact that he looooves power tools - he naturally obliged.)

Do not attach the mirrors to the drawer before drilling...in this photo we hadn't glued the mirrors to the drawer yet, we just used the drawer as the base when we drilled the mirror.

To drill glass you need to use a diamond drill bit like this one.

And you need to keep the glass wet while you drill. That was my important roll - I sat there with a spray bottle, and sprayed the glass while the hubby drilled.

Here he is with his protective eyewear. I told him he should look into getting some geek chic glasses...I kind of like them. :-)

Two things you need to know about drilling glass...FIRST - Do not use pressure. Allow the drill to do the work on its own. If you push the drill into the glass, you will crack it. SECOND - Start drilling at a 45 degree angle and gradually work your way up to a 90 degree angle. It is NOT a fast process.

After we finished the holes (and didn't crack a single piece of glass - thank you very much.) We drilled the new holes in the drawers.

Then we simply glued the mirrors to the drawers with Mirror Mastic (sorry, I don't have a photo of that one - by this time it really late and I was a bit bleary-eyed). We just followed the directions on the Mastic tube. After letting the Mastic cure overnight, we put the knobs on, and put the drawers back in the dresser.

This is a beautiful job! The paint job did wonders for it and the mirrors really finished it off. Thanks for sharing yet another impressive project.I visit your site frequently and am your newest follower.

Hi Wendy, I am getting ready to do a project on a dresser we just got. Out with the old bigger one and in with the new (to us) smaller dresser for A's room. I was looking up how to Primer and paint and where to start and this was the third project online I came across. :) I love it!